A Look at the Inside

"For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:20

I heard a beautiful testimony a few weeks back. During one of the darkest times in this woman's life, when her marriage was falling apart, she found the Lord. She had been living as a Christian her whole life. She grew up in the church. She was baptized as a young girl. She went to church every week. But she never truly got it. Until she was forced to her knees in desperation. In that moment, she saw that she had been living for herself, not for Christ. In that moment, she realized that all of the good works she had done, were worth nothing, if she didn't fully surrender herself to Him and begin living in His will. What I love about her testimony is that her salvation moment came when she realized there is so much more to be a follower of Christ than just living an outwardly Christian life. She had been doing all the "right" things, but without a heart change, it meant nothing.

In Matthew Chapter 5, Jesus says, "[f]or I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." What did he mean? The Pharisees were religious people. They followed all the rules. If we were to see them today, they would go to church every week, serve, be in a lifegroup, read the bible, pray, fast, etc. But they did it out of the wrong motivation. They did these things because they were "supposed" to, not because they were lead to, not because they longed to know God more, not because they truly desired to live in His will. They were externally obedient, but internally disobedient.

God demands righteousness of us. To be righteous is to conform to the revealed will of God. To be righteous is to walk in moment-by-moment obedience. To be righteous is stand humbly before God, realizing that we are spiritually destitute without Him. To be righteous is to acknowledge God's sovereignty and accept all of His dealings with us as good. To be righteous is to wholly surrender you heart - the center of your being, your mind, will, emotions, motivations, actions - to Him.

Righteousness has nothing to do with external obedience. It has nothing to do with doing what Christians do. It has nothing to do with legalistic compliance. It has everything to so with a change of heart.

Where are you today? Is your heart surrendered to God? Or are just going through the motions?

Heavenly Father, forgive me when I get caught up in external obedience and forget that what really matter is my relationship with you. I pray that you will help me daily to be wholly surrendered to you. That you will reveal your will to me, and give me the strength to walk in obedience to you. That I will have an insatiable hunger and thirst for righteousness. I love you Lord.